Ge Hongliang: The South China Sea statement in the United States and their attempts

Ge Hongliang

On July 13, local time, US Secretary of State Pompeo issued a press statement on the South China Sea issue, analyzing and explaining the latest South China Sea policy of the Trump administration.For the first time in the United States, China claimed that China ’s nine -segment line in the South China Sea said that Pompeo said that China’ s territory in the South China Sea was completely illegal.

This is the first time the Trump administration has systematically explained the policy claims on the South China Sea issue. From a historical perspective, it has its logical consistency, but also has the characteristics of policy upgrades. From the time and background of the release, in addition to promoting the Indian Ocean, in addition to promoting the Indian Ocean-In except for the Pacific Strategy (referred to as the Indo -Pacific Strategy), it has difficulty in concealing the situation in the South China Sea and the policy of China.

In terms of content, the main body of the China Sea Statement issued by Pompeo includes four parts.One is based on the strategic values of Indo -Pacific to accuse the South China Sea and related behaviors of China.In this part, Pompeo first explained the freedom and open core values of the Trump administration's Indo -Pacific strategy. Specifically, including maintaining regional peace and stability, freedom of navigation under international law, freedom of business and investment, freedom and freedom of investment and investment,Opposition to resolve disputes with force or scare means; secondly, Pompeo points to China to believe that China ’s South China Sea’ s rights claims and behaviors have destroyed the relevant claims and related waters rights and interests in Southeast Asia.Let's replace international law.

Second, based on the so -called China -Philippines South China Sea Arbitration, China ’s South China Sea Interruption Line claims, on the one hand, emphasize that the results of this arbitration should be observed, and on the other hand, it completely denys China's rights proposition and believes thatChina conducts unilateral claims by disconnecting lines, and has no legal basis with taking unilateral measures.

Third, based on the main sensitive relationship and controversial area of the South China Sea's rights disputes, nakedly showed the Trump administration's position.

In this part, Pompeo not only accuses China of definition exclusive economic zones in related islands and reefs and surrounding waters.As an example, Wan'an Beach, North and South Kang Darksha, Zeng Mu Darksha, etc., shows that the United States has a negative support for China ’s claims and oil and gas exploration, fishery and other activities, and a clear support for Southeast Asia on disputes.

Fourth, based on the thinking of hegemony and the Cold War, it consistently believes that China is seeking to build a maritime empire in the South China Sea. While shaping the image of the hegemony country in China, it unconsciously binds the interests of the United States and Southeast Asian countries.

From a historical point of view, this is the latest statement issued by the United States in the Cold War era. The latest statement issued by the South China Sea issue has not only the continuation and inheritance of previous policy declarations, but also a significant upgrade and change at the policy level.In 1995, after the Cleeceston government issued the first statement of the South China Sea after the U.S.At that time, under the disguise of the neutral policy of the Clinton government, it pointed the blame to China and believed that China ’s behavior was harmful to regional situation.

As a result, the South China Sea policy in the United States has shifted a transformation from neutral to intervention.During the Bush administration, the collision occurred in China and the United States in the South China Sea. At that time, the United States used the name of counter -terrorism to expand its military existence and influence in the Southeast Asia -South China Sea.As the Obama administration returned to Southeast Asia in 2009, with the symbol of the speech of the then Secretary of State Hillary and the Minister of Defense Gates on the South China Sea issue, the US South China Sea policy realized a transformation from intervention to deep intervention.In the later period of the Obama administration, the United States not only maintained a large -scale military forefront in the South China Sea, but also stood at the front line with freedom of navigation and a series of tentative military actions.

Since the Trump administration has died nominal nominal policy, the regional security policy implemented under the Indo -Pacific strategy is just new bottle of old wine. More US military forces gathered in the South China Sea and the Asia -Pacific regionIt has become a prominent tool for the South China Sea policy.Under this situation, although the United States expresses the values level in the South China Sea as always, it is more military measures to challenge China's rights of the South China Sea with more military measures, and in China and the South China Sea dispute between China and Southeast Asia.Between the country, the naked side selection station is carried out.

Therefore, we can see that the Pompeo South China Sea declaration has significantly upgraded at the policy level.Over the statement, the statement shows that the attitude that must be reversed in the South China Sea issue, the confrontation attitude of the United States and China on the South China Sea issue is even more obvious; second, the statement meansIt will take more measures to forcibly promote the implementation of the results. Third, the statement shows the naked attitude of the United States on the South China Sea issue, which is reflected in many levels such as politics, international law and military.

With the upgrading of the South China Sea policy, the internal confrontation colors have improved significantly, and politically confrontation, military challenges and legal denials have become the main feature of the current South China Sea policy.

The release of Pompeo South China Sea has two very critical real -time backgrounds. One is that the United States sent multiple aircraft carriers and multiple sub -reconnaissance aircraft to carry out militaryization operations in the South China Sea;The results were announced for the fourth anniversary.As a result, the attempt of this statement in the United States is difficult to hide.

First of all, this is in line with the combined fist strategy used by the United States on the South China Sea issue.Any militaryization in the United States in the South China Sea has always been accompanied by the United States' offensive against China on the international public opinion field.Secondly, the accusations that have gaps in the state of the United States and Southeast Asian countries and countries in Southeast Asia have been pushed back completely, and the arbitration and naked border selection stations are mentioned in the South China Sea issue.The most sensitive nerves in the relevant countries in Southeast Asia, thereby destroying the efforts of the situation and order of the South China Sea in the South China Sea dispute with the dual -track policy through the dual -track policy.Furthermore, it is part of the comprehensive competitive policy adopted by the Trump administration's policy of positioning China as a comprehensive strategic competitors after the Trump administration has positioned China as a comprehensive strategic competitor role.

Therefore, the Pompeo South China Sea statement is dangerous, and its unsightly attempts are well known to passers -by.Southeast Asian countries should not only understand this, but also adopt the correct attitude and measures that are conducive to effectively resolving disputes in the South China Sea and jointly maintained the security of the region.

The author is a senior researcher at the China Chahar Society

Director of China-ASEAN Maritime Safety Research Center

With the upgrading of the South China Sea policy, the internal confrontation colors have improved significantly, and politically confrontation, military challenges and legal denials have become the main feature of the current South China Sea policy.